How to set up a Facebook business page

When starting your own business, finances are often tight and you don’t have the luxury of a huge advertising budget. If that’s the case, how do you get your brand out there and reach paying customers on a shoestring? Setting up a Facebook page could be the answer.

It’s a fantastic way of promoting your products and services to the people who are most interested in them without costing you a penny. And it’s easy to create a page with nothing more than an internet connection and a Facebook account.

So, let’s get started. If you follow these easy steps you could have your Facebook business page up and running today.

• Setting up your Facebook business page
• Sourcing images
• Deciding on a user name and adding business details 
• Telling customers about your business
• Creating a post and inviting people to like your page
• Engaging with your customers online 

If you don’t have an account, you’ll first need to create a personal profile in order to have a business page. Don’t worry if you’re not into social media for personal reasons – your personal information won’t be shared on your business page and you can still keep your profile private.

To create your business page, go to www.facebook.com/pages/create where you’ll be guided through the steps. You’ll have to choose a name, select a category you fit into and provide a short description.

At this point, your page is ready for you to start adding more content to it. Fortunately, Facebook marketing makes it simple to navigate around its pages even if you’re not a technical whizz.

Pictures paint a thousand words and if you’re planning to build your brand on Facebook, then the images you use need to reflect it. Make sure you use ones that really help sell your product or service.

If you’ve got professional photos, these should be your go-to. If not, consider taking some yourself which you can edit to look more professional. You can do this on most smartphones and use a photo-editing app. If you’re offering a service, you might have to get creative with how you show that visually and there are a number of photo sites where, for a small fee, you can download professional images that show what your business is about. You could also use your logo if you prefer.

You don’t have to populate your Facebook page with dozens of images right away, but it is important to get your profile picture and cover image sorted.

Once you’ve figured out the basics you can create a username, for example @thepinesgardening. This is how people can find you. Choose something that is short, memorable and links directly to your line of work or area of business. 

Don’t forget to add in your phone number, email, and physical address if your business has one. You can choose not to share all this information if you prefer. You can also add in opening hours and your website details if applicable, and create a call to action button which could direct people to your website, or to send you a message.

Expand on what your business does with a description of what your page is about. Use the ‘About’ section to tell your story or add in search words relevant to your business.

Once you have the basics sorted, it’s time to create your first post. Facebook has a convenient ‘Create welcome post’ button you can click. You can write a short paragraph, upload an image, hit publish and it’s done.

When it comes to creating posts for your business, always keep your audience in mind and make sure you’re sharing content which is relevant and useful to them. You can create posts yourself or share other articles and images from thought leaders in your industry. Posting about specific offers or events is also a good idea.

You’ve spent time setting up your page but unless people know about it, it’s all going to be for nothing. At this point, if you’re a regular Facebook user, you can invite your friends to like and share your page.

You can promote your page through other platforms like Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. If you’ve got a website, add a Facebook button to it so that people can click through to visit. Ask your customers to leave reviews on your page to build trust with new visitors.

Inviting friends to like your page will only get you so far and you need to publish regular content (images, posts, videos etc) that is relevant to your target market. How little or how often you post is entirely up to you and you’ll be able to judge how much is enough as you become familiar with the platform.

If you’re worried it’s yet another task to add to your already long list when starting a business, don’t be. Facebook has a handy scheduling feature that allows you to write a series of posts in one sitting and will automatically publish them for you at scheduled times. 

Remember to engage with your audience as it grows. If customers or your potential clients ask questions, make sure to answer them. Reply and like comments and most important of all, be authentic.

So that’s it, your easy guide to setting up a Facebook business page. There are plenty more things you can do to market your business and for further Facebook marketing tips you need look no further than Facebook itself. On your business page you’ll find a button on the left called ‘Resources and tools’ with a whole heap of information to help promote your business. 

Using Facebook may be a rewarding option for your business. Countingup is another. The business current account with free built-in accounting software is designed to help you keep on top of your finances. Learn more here.